Coin-controlled apparatus for inflating tires



No. 609,259. j Patented Aug. I6, |898. l. H. ATwoon.

GOIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR INFLATING TIRES.

(Application filed Mar, 26, 1898,)

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No. 609,259. Patented Aug. I6, |898. l. H. ATWUD. COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR INFLATING'TIRES.

(Application med Mar. 26, 199s.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ratentNo. 609,259, dated August I6, 189s.

Application filed March 26, 1898 T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, IBvINe H. ATWooD, of Amesbury, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Coin-Controlled Apparatus for InflatingVehicle-Tires, of which the following descripi tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of apparatus for iniiating the tires of bicycles or other vehicles, the operation of the apparatus being controlled by the insertion of a coin in a suitableopening in thev casing Inclosing the apparatus.

By means of this apparatus, one form of which will be hereinafter described, pneumatic tires may be readily pumped up or inflated without any manner.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention, the front wall of the casing being removed. Fig. 2 is a left' hand elevation of the mechanism" shown in Fig. 1, with the casing in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional' detail of a part of the operative mechanism of the apparatus, taken on the line a: as, Fig. 1, looking toward the right; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the device for stopping the motor, showing the side opposite to that illustrated in Fig. 1.

The essential parts of the apparatus comprise a pump, a normally inoperative motor therefor, coin-controlled Vmeans to eifect the starting of the motor, and an automatic stop,- ping device for the latter, the `whole apparatus being inclosed in a casing, a connection adapted to be attached to the tireV to be inlated passing through the casing to the pumpoutlet.

I have herein shown an inclosed casing A, provided with. a door A', having a suitable lock AX, the casing havingl a transverse par tition A? therein, on which the apparatus is mounted.

The motor M herein shown -is an electric motor mounted on a frame comprising a base cc and sides a', the rotatable shaft m of the motor having fast thereon a pinion m', in mesh with a large gear mi, fast on a shaft ma, supported in bearings Ca2 on the frame. A

Serial No. 675,262. (No model.)

. pinion m4 on said shaft is in mesh with a large has a crank-arm mf thereon, connected with the piston-rod p of thepump P, of any suitl able construction, the pump -barrel being pivotally mounted at p on a stand A3, attached to the partition A2,`so that the pump will osi cillate'during the operation of the motor.

The pump-outlet@2 is attached to a fiexible tube p3, whichwis extended through an opening ax in the casing, the free end of the tube being attached to the valve of the tire to be inflated.

- The gearing between the pump-actuating shaft m and the motor-,shaft m serves to properly reduce the speed of the latter to `suitably operate the pump. manual exertion in a rapid and effective I One of the 'poles of the motor is connected,

asat 3, Fig. 1,- by an insulated wire 10 with "a fixed yterminal 4 `of a circuit-controller, a

second fixed terminal 5 thereof being connected by a Wire l2`with the circuit outside of the casing A, and the other pole 6 of the motor is connected with the circuit by a wire 13. The terminals 4.- and 5 are mounted on a block of insulating material 7, attached to the frame of the coin controlled starting means for the motor,` (to be described,) a Inovable circuit-controller or switch 8 being shown inFig. 1 as pivotally mounted at 9 and normally held by a spring sin the position shown between the ends of the terminal 5 and out of engagement'with the terminal 4, said terminals being preferably of the well-known split type to receive the movable member 8 between them.

A metal frame consisting of suitably-connected side pieces b b is mounted on the frame a', one of the side pieces b being broken out in Fig. 1 to show clearly the parts behind it,

bearings b being provided for a sliding plunger b2, extended through the top A4 ofthe casing and provided with a suitable handpiece ha. Between a pin l5 on i the plunger and the top bearing b a spring S is interposed,

`surrounding the plunger and normally tending to maintain it inthe'position shown in Fig. l. A notch h4 in the plunger is normally entered by a locking-dog c, supported by' and adapted to slide in a bracket 225, attached to IOO one of the sides b, Figs. l and 3, said dog preventing depression of the plunger, the latter being so located relatively to the circuitcontroller that-inward movement of the plunger when the dog is withdrawn will move the switch member S into engagement with the terminal 4t, closing the motor-circuit and starting the latter to operate the pump, the friction of the terminals 4 and 5 retaining the member 8 in engagement therewith until it is positively removed therefrom.

The dog c is pivotally connected at c with the yoke-like end c2 of a bell-crank lever c3, fulcrumed between the sides b on hardenedsteel bearings c4, supported in the sides, the outer end of the lever having a lateral enlargement orcoin-support c5. This coin-support c5 is held just below the end of a coinchute CZ, registering with a receiving-slot d10 in the casing, a counterpoise w on the bellcrank lever holding the latter in the position shown in Fig. l against a stop 2, the coinsupport c5 being so near the open bottom of the chute that a coinl therein cannot escape, but the Weight of the coin on the support will be sufficient to tilt the lever c3 far enough to withdraw the dog c from the notch b4 ot' the plunger and permit inward movement of the latter. A transversely-extended pin c6 on the lever enters a slot h6 in an overhanging arm 197, attached to the plunger, which latter is the manually-operated actuator effecting the starting of the motor, the slot b5 permitting the tilting of the lever by the coin to unlock the actuator b2. When said actuator is thus unlocked and manually moved operatively to start the motor, the arm 127 is also moved and acts on the lever c3, depressing its free end sufficiently to permit the coin to drop out of the chute cl into a trough d', from which the coin passes into a receptacle d on the inside of the door Al of the casing, as herein shown, the spring S returning the actuator to normal position, while the counterpoise w moves the lever c3 into normal position, the dog c being returned thereby into locking position.

Having described the means for starting the motor, means will now be described for stopping it when it has run a desired length of timesuflicient, for instance, to inflate a tire.

The pump-actuating shaft m6 has formed upon it beyond the frame a a worm m10, in mesh with a worin-wheel f, mounted to rotate between the sides b, said wheel having pivoted thereon at f' a trip fx, normally held by a suitable spring sx (see Fig. 4) against an adjustable stop f2, also on the worm-wheel,

said stop being shown as slotted to receive they attaching-screw 90, so that by loosening the screw the stop may be moved longitudinally to thereby adjust it. The free end of the movable member 8 of the circuit-controller is, when the circuit is closed, in the path of movement of the outer end of the trip fx, the worm-wheel being rotated in the direction of the arrow 20, Figs. l and 4i. As the trip is brought into engagement with the switch member 8 the trip will at first turn on its pivot f against the spring SX until the compression of the latter increases its force sufficiently to move said switch member out of engagement with the terminal 4, the spring s completing the movement of said switch member to break the circuit and stop the motor. The yielding action ot' the trip prevents a sudden stoppage of the motor, and thus obviates shock to the apparatus. In the construction shown the lower end of the actuator h2 is insulated, as at 16, to prevent passage of the current thereto from the switch member 8 in starting the apparatus. A relief-valve pX is applied to the pump-outlet to prevent undue pressure in the tire being inflated. By means of the adjustable stop f2 for the trip fx the point at which the latter will engage the contact member 8 in the rotation of the worin-.wheel f may be varied to increase or decrease the duration of the operation of the motor.

From the foregoing description the operation of the apparatus will be obvious, the pump connection p3 being iirst attached to the tire-valve and then the coin of the required denomination is put into the slot d10. The starting means is thus unlocked, and the operator moves the actuator or plunger b2 to start the motor, which continues to run and operate the pump until automatically stopped by the motor-stopping device. Should the actuator be held depressed after the motor starts, the stopping device will forcibly return the actuator to normal position unless suiiicient force is opposed to break the apparatus.

The apparatus is very convenient and does away entirely with the manual labor of iniiating tires, and it can be placed in any suitable position, its services being called into operation when desired by the insertion of the proper coin.

While I have shown herein an electric motor, it will be obvious that my invention is not restricted thereto, as any suitable form of motor may be used. A spring-motor could be employed, and in such case the manual movement of the actuator would release any suitable detent instead of operating a circuitcontroller, as herein shown, the coin-controlled locking means and the automatic stopping device being substantially as herein shown.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a pump, a motor to operate it, a manually-operated actuator to effect the operation of the pump by the motor, coin-controlled locking means for said actuator, and means to automatically stop the pumping operation.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclosed casing, a pump therein having a connection with its outlet led through the casing and adapted to be attached to the tire ICO IIO

to be iniiated, a motor to operate the pump, a manually-operated actuator to start the motor, locking means for said actuator moved into inoperative position by the insertion of a coin into the casing, and a device to automatically stop they motor after the pump has been operated for a predetermined length of time, and also to act upon and insure positive return of the actuator to normal position.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclosed casing, a pump therein having an exterior connection With its outlet, an operating-motor for the pump, a manuallyoperated actuator adapted to start theoperation of the pump by or through the motor, a locking device for said actuator movable into inoperative position by the insertion of a coin in the casing, and a stopping device for the motor connected with and operated by the latter to automatically stop the motor after a predetermined movement.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a motor, a pump operatively connected therewith, a manually-operated actuator to inaugurate the operation of the pump, and coincontrolled means to normally lock the actuator from operation.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a motor, a pump operatively connected therewith and having a connection adapted to be attached to the tire to be inflated, an inclosing casing having a coin-receiving channel, a manually-movable actuator to effect the operation of the pump by the motor, a locking device for the actuator movable into inoperative position by the insertion of a coin, and means operable by the movement of the actuator to effect release of the coin from engagement with said locking device.

6. In,` an apparatus of the class described, a pump, a motor operatively connected therewith, coin-controlled means to eect the operation of the pump, and a device to automatically and gradually stop the operation of the pump, said device including a yielding trip, and an adjustable cooperating stop.

7 In an apparatus of the class described, a pump, an electric motor to operate it, a circuit-controller adapted to throW the motor into or out of circuit, a manually-operated actuator to effect movement of the circuit-- controller, locking means for said actuator, movable into inoperative position by the insertion of a coin, to thereby permit closure of the motor-circuit by the actuator, to start the motor and pump, and independent means including a moving, yielding trip to automatically move the circuit-controller to break i the motor-circuit.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a pump, a motor to operate it, a manuallymovable plunger to eiect the starting of' the IRVING II. ATWO OD.

Witnesses:

ROBERT G. PATTEN, ALF J. SAUNDERS. 

